Manama: Bahrain is widening its safety net to protect vulnerable citizens in these challenging Covid-19 times.
It has allocated BD435 million in annual financial support for needy citizens, up by seven per cent as compared with BD385m in 2018.
“The package reflects a drive to turn needy Bahrainis into productive citizens,” Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel Humaidan said in a statement marking International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which falls today.
The ministry runs 15 indirect support programmes benefiting vulnerable categories, he pointed out.
This includes an inflation allowance which benefits more than 120,000 Bahraini households, on the basis of BD100 for families whose monthly income is below BD300.
Bahraini families whose monthly income is less than BD700 and BD1,000 are granted BD70 and BD50 in monthly allowance respectively, ensuring them decent living conditions, Mr Humaidan said.
Social insurance programmes provide an umbrella that benefits citizens who have no income or whose income is insufficient, including needy families, widows, divorcees and abandoned wives, in addition to the elderly, inmates’ families, incapacitated employees, and people with physical disabilities.
The General Organisation for Social Insurance disburses an allowance to public and private sector pensioners.
The package benefits 82,000 people, ranging from BD150 to BD75 to pensioners.
The social umbrella benefiting citizens also includes the BD100 housing allowance, meat subsidies, payouts benefiting the handicapped, insurance against unemployment and monthly reduction of utility bills.
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